BBMP staff fail to drain water from flooded apartment

Residents of a flooded apartment building on New BEL Road in ITI Layout had a harrowing day, as the BBMP staffers who came to drain the water failed to complete the work.

The civic workers said the pump they brought was broken, while residents struggled to remove the vehicles in the inundated basement area and later gave up as the water levels increased after heavy rains lashed the city on Friday morning.

One of the tenants in the apartment, S N Uma, said the negligence of civic workers left them in trouble. “They said the water pump they brought was broken and left. When we protested, they asked us to bring the pump. How can we arrange for a pump during the lockdown?” she asked.

The trouble that began early morning finally ended at 9.30 pm after the Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services Department drained the water from the basement. “I called 101 in the evening and firefighters came right away,” Uma said.

The 20 families in the apartment had no water during the day as the basement pump was submerged in floodwater.

“The overhead tank was empty in the morning itself. We have not been able to switch on the pump to avoid any untoward incidents. We have to get it checked on Saturday,” Uma said.

No reply from officials

The BBMP assistant executive engineer for the area and the joint commissioner for the RR Nagar zone did not answer the calls.